I've always wondered. There are so many exquisite songs on this album (Russian Roulette, G4L, Hard, Wait is Over, Fire Bomb,...) and it didn't smash. Why? What would it take for it to smash?
The sound. I remember when RR got released back in 2009 everyone said that Rih was trying too much to be dark/rockstar and basically they didn't like her new sound/image they wanted GGGB back.
Edit: Thank god Rude Boy smashed and saved the era.
It was too dark. I remember everyone hoping she was gonna do dance music with thatrelease and when it ended up being so dark, it turned a lot of people off. We weren't in the mood then for the darker image she was serving, plus most of the songs on it didn't fit with what was on the radio at the time.
whats wrong with selling 1M US and 3M WW.. Those are good numbers
I agree but the whole era seemed a little bit of the spotlight, LGOE tour wasn't really the highest grossing tour, only song that really smashed was Rude Boy and Hard was somewhat close
She needed that era. I took her from pop girl Rihanna to certified superstar status. Plus her look was the first of many more iconic ones to come, obviously following the Umbrella bob.
Because people expected another smash album like GGGB (myself included). But she has changed LOR during those few months, and she grew out of her basic girl shell
It was incredibly dark and the complete opposite of what Rih was known for. I was a casual fan with GGGB but RR made me think that she was suicidal and angry at the world. I didn't care about how good the music was, I didn't want serious music from Rihanna and stopped paying attention to her until Loud. I didn't become a big fan again until Talk That Talk.
Overall the dark themes and imagery were a complete turn-off for the GP.
Those kind of albums... Erotica, Blackout and Rated R are mistreated during their times yet are rehabilitated because they are just too good, and evocative of the life of their singers, to not be recognized for the masterpieces that they are.
Note that they all came after uber smash eras too!
